IIIF for Educators

Lab Activity: Introduction of UCLA Collection of “Patent Medicine Trade Cards”

💡 Concept

About "Collecting"

“Collecting” is conceived broadly as an interdisciplinary approach to historical and current practices of acquiring, holding, organizing, and using objects and information for the purposes of cultural heritage and knowledge production. As such it is as inclusive of data and digital phenomena as it is of specimens and artifacts. And while the purview of study will include amateur, individual, and private collecting as hobby, it will address more centrally the role that collecting within institutional settings (i.e. the “G.L.A.M. sector: galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) has performed in selectively holding and preserving evidence of human experience.

🖥️ Activity

Participation and discussion in Russell Johnson's presentation. Reflection on Russell Johnson's presentation. The reflection is to provide you perspectives for understanding the concept and process of "collecting," in turn, for fulfilling information proficiencies on "Information Has Value."

📍 Location

Class zoom meeting.

🧱 Materials

Russell Johnson, “The Gain in Pain: UCLA History of Pain Collection.” (Presentation Slides)

Patent Medicine Trade Cards in the XR Classroom. (Captivate)

Resources:

• Pain in Victorian Trade Cards: An Online Searchable Database. Link.
• Patent Medicine Trade Cards Resources. Link.
• Racism and Misogyny in Patent Medicine Advertising. Link.

✉️ Share

The Process of the Collection of "Patent Medicine Trade Cards" Becoming a Collection

• Acquisition:
  • Why does the collector choose this focus (i.e. period of time, format, subject matter)?
  • How does the collector evaluate the items?
  • Where/who/how does the collector acquire them?
• What are ephemera?
• What kind of scholarship has utilized this particular Collection?

Post your answers (about 100 words) By Sunday, June 30.

🤝 Collaborate

Responses to your peers' posts By Tuesday, July 2.